


Elwin's Pike

by Serriya (Keolah)



Category: Dungeons & Dragons - Fandom
Genre: Adventure, Dragons, Gen, Magic, Original Universe, Quest, Randomly Generated Names, Spears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1995-01-01
Updated: 1995-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-18 11:15:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/560438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Serriya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A woman goes on a quest to enchant a magic pike.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Elwin's Pike

At the end of the Age of Albrynnia, the House of Eorili was to be found only in the Valley of Trivallis. They lived mostly within the great city called Aurora, which sprawled within a deep gorge between the two mountain ranges which walled the Valley of Trivallis. One young woman of this house was called Krizri Eorili.

One day, she wandered out of the city and came to a great cavern in the Thorny Mountains. Krizri lit a torch and trekked into the mountainside. There, she stumbled upon the powerful wizard Azrutpla working magic on a pike. Azrutpla stopped his work upon seeing her and looked up in distaste. "What foolish mortal dareth to disturb my studies?"

Krizri stood up proudly and spoke in a clear voice, "I am Krizri, of the House of Eorili."

"Thou art bold, young mortal. If thou provest bolder still, I may let thee live. Take this pike to the sorcerer Guar of Vlezbreag, and thou wilt be rewarded greatly."

"I would, indeed, but I have never heard of Vlezbreag," explained Krizri. "Couldst thou tellest me whither it lies?"

The wizard Azrutpla shook his head. "If thou art to gain the enchantment of this pike, thou must find it without my assistance." Then Azrutpla lifted the softly glowing pike from his table and handed it to Krizri. "Prove bold, young Krizri, and all the House of Eorili forthcoming shall benefit."

Thus Krizri Eorili returned with the pike to her family in the city of Aurora. She spoke to her grandmother Coluly about it, but Coluly disapproved of any journey to some unknown place. Coluly stopped just short of completely forbidding Krizri to search for Vlezbreag.

Fortunately, Krizri's father Tlyralb was much more flexible than his mother had been. Though he could not give any clue to the location of Vlezbreag, Tlyralb suggested that Krizri ask around town to see if anyone knew whither it lay.

Krizri locked the pike in her personal chest and tied the key around her neck before proceeding into town. Coluly shook her head in frustration as the girl stubbornly exited her home, but she did nothing to stop her headstrong grandaughter.

It didn't take Krizri all that long to locate somebody who had at least heard of Vlezbreag. This person was none other than Old Man Trethlyr, an ancient man who had probably been everywhere there was to go. Unfortunately, he was now quite senile and often fell asleep at unexpected moments. Just talking to him would be difficult.

"Old Man Trethlyr, where is Vlezbreag?"

"Vlezbreag? I remember Vlezbreag. I was very young then, little older then you. There was this beautiful maiden who lived there, Nevshal I believe her name was. You never saw one like her! Her hair was as red-gold as fire, her eyes were as bright as the stars. Yes, the stars. We sat under the stars at night and watched them till the dawn. We could see the stars so well up there at Vlezbreag, being so high in the mountains. You could almost reach out and touch them! Then we"d be so tired we"d just fall asleep." long snore emerged from Old Man Trethlyr as he did just that.

"Trethlyr!" said Krizri as she shook him. "Old Man Trethlyr! Wake up, Old Man!"

Trethlyr mumbled something, then said, "I wasn't asleep, Coluly. Just resting my eyes"

"I'm not Coluly, Old One. I'm Krizri."

"Yes, of course. Krizri. Now where was I?" muttered Trethlyr.

"Vlezbreag," prompted Krizri.

"Ah, yes. Vlezbreag. I remember Vlezbreag. Why do you want to know about Vlezbreag?"

"I want to know where it is so I can go there," explained Krizri.

"don't bother trying to go there," spoke Trethlyr. "You'd never make it through the mountains."

"Mountains?" asked Krizri.

"The Thorny Mountains. South of here, you know them?"

"Yes, the Thorny Mountains. Go on."

"What about the Thorny Mountains?"

"Vlezbreag, the Thorny Mountains," Krizri said. "We were talking about Vlezbreag."

"Ah, yes. Vlezbreag. I remember Vlezbreag. There was this beautiful maiden there named Nevshal. Hair of fire! Eyes of stars! You never saw one like her!"

Krizri sighed in frustration and went home.

It was only when Krizri got home and opened her chest that she realized something was wrong. The pike was gone! Outraged, she stormed out to her father, but Tlyralb knew nothing about it. She frantically searched the entire city, and didn't find it. What sort of trick had the wizard Azrutpla played on her?

Furious, Krizri stomped back to the wizard's cave and told him what had happened. Azrutpla was unperturbed, however. "The pike is enchanted so that it will find its way back to its rightful owner." And that was all he would say on the matter.

For three days Krizri searched fruitlessly for the missing pike. On the fourth day, she had a dream that she stood within a stream, gathering water to drink, when she saw gold in her drinking vessel. Upon waking, Krizri rushed to the little stream that ran past Aurora. After hours of searching, she spotted a flash of silver underneath a bridge. There was the pike, thrust into the mud below the bridge. Recovering the magic weapon, Krizri washed it off in the stream and headed back home. Thereafter that river was enchanted.

When she got home with the pike, Krizri noticed her relatives giving Coluly strange looks, and Coluly refused to meet her eye. Krizri looked at her grandmother with a hard stare until Coluly gave in.

"Yes, I took it! But for your own good, it was!" Then she stormed off into the kitchen.

Krizri's cousin Noor came up to her later and said, "So hard on Grandma, you didn't need to be."

Krizri didn't look at him, but replied, "I said nothing to her, therefore I could not have been hard on her."

Noor shook his head. "Louder than words, actions speak, cousin. Your actions spoke of clear reprimand."

"And what if they did?" snapped Krizri. "What can I do about it? What can anyone? I am a grown woman, Noor."

"Still, your elders, you should give them at least respect," suggested Noor.

Krizri turned suddenly toward him in such a way that he cringed. "Practice what you preach, little cousin," she said with paradoxical calm.

Noor didn't respond, knowing that his cousin was, in this case, right. She was the elder, and he should give her more respect. No matter what Krizri did, he was determined that no one would label him disrespectful. Mildly insulted, Noor wandered off into the attic of his mother Miri"s house and sat there pondering until Miri came up and asked him what was wrong. Noor merely shook his head and would not answer her. Even as he did so he was ashamed at himself, considering how close he and his mother were.

"Krizri, Mama," Noor whispered finally. "My fear for her, it grows. Grandmama failed with hiding the pike. Found it, Krizri did. Wordless reprimand, she gave."

Miri looked at her son with distant eyes. Once, long ago, she had wanted very badly to do something, but her mother Coluly had forbidden her. When that didn't stop her, Coluly locked her out of her home and refused to acknowledge her as kin until Miri gave "Krizri has not given in?" asked Miri.

"No, Mama. Stubborn, she is," replied Noor, slightly confused.

"She seeks what place?"

"Vlezbreag, it's called. Trethlyr, he came from there," explained Noor.

"To help her, I wish. Noor, that box, bring me it. The heavy black one."

Her son brought her the box, and Miri opened it. After the dust-cloud cleared, Miri lifted out a sheaf of maps. "Uncle Eshly, like maps, he did. Collection, gave me, before he died."

Noor sat on the floor next to her, gazing fascinated at the old maps. "Find anything, how can you, in that mess, Mama?"

"Vlezbreag, Vlezbreag," muttered Miri, flipping through the maps. After several minutes of searching, she came to the end of the stack. Then she handed them to Noor.

"To Krizri, take them. Find something, she may." Noor took the maps and nodded. Then they left the attic.

Krizri's eyes widened upon seeing the maps. She thanked Noor and Miri a thousand times as she sorted through the maps, seeking any reference to Vlezbreag. Then she saw it. It was a map of a place called Vers, in the south- western region of the continent. In the Thorny Mountains to the east of Vers was the city of Vlezbreag. From the map drawing it looked like it was mostly underground, like some sort of cavern system. To the south of it lay the land of Hlaya, and to the north lay Freestar, and to the east lay Hamlet Airies, and to the west of it were the Cliffs of Sky. Vlezbreag was the only city on the map, though little towns and villages like Fare, Mial, Chulatch, Lursh, Ozlo, and Spyce dotted the map. Directly east of Vlezbreag, and the entrance to the pass, lay the Wagmog Swamp and a landmark known as Moly Rock. A set of tall stones called the Wairstones marked the only safe passage through the swamp. These stones were said to also hold the spirits of all who had died in the Wagmog Swamp. To reach Vlezbreag, Krizri would have to either cross through the Wagmog Swamp, or find a way across the Thorny Mountains, both of which currently seemed impossible.

But Krizri was determined to reach Vlezbreag, so she set out later that month with the pike Azrutpla had given her and a week's worth of food. She crossed through the eastern arm of the Thorny Mountains, which were lower that the rest of the range, and headed south alone the foothills. She trekked through the land of Hamlet-Airies and soon came to the Wagmog Swamp. Krizri wondered how such a lush wetland could survive so far inland and nowhere near any river. She thus assumed it was enchanted and walked cautiously with the pike to guide her.

It wasn't long before she saw the first of the Wairstones, jutting out from the muck like a silver-grey finger, pointing the way. Krizri checked the map to make sure she knew approxomately where she was before proceeding through the Wagmog Swamp.

Though she lost her way several times and nearly fell into the hidden water, Krizri finally came to Moly Rock and the pass to Vlezbreag. She smiled at the sun which she had not seen for several days. Then she entered the pass.

The pass was difficult at first. Then Krizri Eorili stepped into the city of Vlezbreag. Age had worn the place into near-ruin, she discovered, but the sorcerer Guar still dwelled here for its solitude. She had little trouble finding him.

"Who art thou who comest here?"

"I am Krizri, of the House of Eorili," stated the girl boldly.

"Ah, I see. What is thy business here?"

"The wizard Azrutpla told me to come here to have you enchant this pike."

"He did, did he? I don't see why we should disappoint him."

Thus the sorcerer Guar brought out his components and chanted over the pike in strange tongues Krizri had never heard before. The pike took on a luminescence of its own. Then he gave it to her.

"Thy pike, Krizri. You must now stand upon Moly Rock and each of the Wairstones and chant the words upon this parchment to complete the spell."

Krizri took the pike and parchment on which were written words in an alphabet she was unfamiliar with. "I can't read this, Guar."

"Of course. You know not the Tinean tongue. Here, I will write you a translation." Guar sat down and translated the Tinean characters into those of which Krizri was familiar. She thanked him many times then left.

When she reached Moly Rock, she climbed up to the top and recited the words. The swamp seemed to glow for a brief moment, then the light streamed into the pike. The swamp then ceased to be swamp, but only in the nearest region. As she recited the words upon each of the Wairstones, the swamp vanished from those areas as well. When Krizri had reached the last of the Wairstones, there was no more swamp, only a region of rolling foothills. The enchantment of the swamp thus became that of the pike.

Krizri Eorili thus returned to Aurora in the Valley of Trivallis. She lived there for many happy years. She married a knight known as Sir Dyvri, and had six children: Alfri, Tyejrolyi, Woyporgra, Phlez, Sculph, and Elwin. Alfri, her firstborn, married Phrer, and his children were Scaos, Lijrophli, and Skyler. When Elwin, Krizri's youngest child, was thirteen, the age of maturity, a night-black dragon called Jeruph came to the city of Aurora.

The citizens panicked, but Krizri could not control them. She rushed out with the pike, but Jeruph struck her down before she could use it. Elwin came racing out in fury. When she saw her mother's mangled body, she grabbed the pike and swung it across Jeruph's throat.

The people watched, awestruck, as the dragon screamed in agony, let out a burst of acid that devoured every building in sight, and crumpled. The dragon Jeruph was dead! Then the citizens cheered, even as they mourned. Elwin was a hero! No matter what the dragon had done to the people, it was true that so many of them still lived because of the courage of one solitary person: Elwin Eorili. The struggles of Krizri for the enchantment of the pike were not forgotten, but they were trivial compared to her daughter's use of it. Thus it was called Elwin's Pike.

When the city of Aurora in the Valley of Trivallis was destroyed by the black dragon Jeruph, the survivors established a new city at the north end of the valley, and named it Port Fins. In the years to come, the ruins of Aurora would fade away, leaving no trace that any city ever stood there. The deep gorge where it had existed is now called Aurora Core.


End file.
